Front Burner from CBC News and CBC Podcasts is your essential daily news podcast taking you deep into the stories shaping Canada and the world. In this special Front Burner evening edition from the ground in Ottawa as police move in on protesto

Bonus

Party Lines Introduces: Nothing is Foreign

Feb 11th, 2022 27m 31s

World news, local voices. Nothing is Foreign is a weekly trip to where the story is unfolding. Hosted by Tamara Khandaker. This episode takes you inside El Salvador to hear from locals to see how the promise of a cryptocurrency paradise by a se

Alberta’s COVID crisis and what’s topping Trudeau’s agenda

Sep 30th, 2021 27m 46s

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney continues to face criticism from all sides for his handling of the pandemic in the prairie province, where doctors are begging for an immediate lockdown as the health care system remains on the brink of collapse. Ot

Another minority. What happens next?

Sep 23rd, 2021 26m 58s

Now that Rosie and Elamin have mostly — mostly — caught up on sleep after Monday’s big night, they’re ready to look ahead at what happens next. Sure, this new Parliament may look pretty similar to the last, but each federal party now has plenty

It’s the final countdown

Sep 16th, 2021 26m 51s

This is it: the final stretch before election day. Rosie and Elamin have noticed that the major party leaders have shifted their tone into more negative territory this week — but does that risk alienating voters and reaffirming the worst feelin

#Elxn44 Wrestlemania (or, “debate night”)

Sep 9th, 2021 26m 35s

Tonight, five federal party leaders go head-to-head in the sole official English-language debate of this election. Elamin and Rosie lay out the stakes — which are much higher this side of Labour Day — and look at whether tonight’s event could h

Comparing climate change commitments

Sep 2nd, 2021 25m 58s

We heard you loud and clear: climate change is a top issue for many Party Lines listeners. This week, Rosie and Elamin dive into what the major parties are promising when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and examine how the climate

What are the parties’ prescriptions for health care?

Aug 26th, 2021 22m 22s

We’re two weeks (out of five!) into this federal election campaign, and while parties have so far attempted to push a whole range of issues to the forefront, there was one that dominated the conversation early this week: health care. Rosie and

It’s election time again

Aug 19th, 2021 23m 59s

They’re back! Rosie and Elamin have tossed the rest of their summer plans out the window and are settling in for a five-week federal election campaign that will culminate in a trip to the polls September 20. They kick things off with a close lo

Trailer

Introducing Party Lines (Trailer)

Aug 18th, 2021 37s

Welcome to Party Lines! Co-hosts Rosemary Barton and Elamin Abdelmahmoud demystify Canadian politics, one issue at a time. Because talking politics is for everyone.

A day of reflection

Jul 1st, 2021 24m 33s

The way Elamin sees it, this Canada Day comes after a year full of questions that included: what is Canada about? And who is Canada for? As Indigenous leaders call for reflection today, and as some cities opt to pull back on celebrations, Rosie

Election speculation as MPs break for summer

Jun 24th, 2021 23m 9s

Questions about a possible trip to the polls have been floating around Ottawa for months, but election speculation hit a new level this week as the House of Commons prepared to break for the summer. Rosie and Elamin point out a few key signs th

Trouble for the Green Party leader

Jun 17th, 2021 23m 11s

On this week's podcast, Rosie and Elamin discuss the Ontario government's use of the notwithstanding clause for the first time in the province's history. Why did the Ford government resort to the constitutional "nuclear option," and how have ot

After the London attack, politics and Islamophobia

Jun 10th, 2021 34m 36s

In the wake of a fatal attack on a Muslim family in London, Ont., we've heard some familiar sentiments: “This is not who we are.” “This is not what Canada is about.” “This cannot happen here.” Elamin Abdelmahmoud, who brings lived experience

A residential schools reckoning, again

Jun 3rd, 2021 27m 24s

It’s a heavy one this week, as Elamin and Rosie explore the state of Canada’s path to reconciliation with the help of CBC colleague Duncan McCue. Over the past week, many people across the country have reacted with shock and horror at the preli

Quebec wants to tinker with the Constitution

May 27th, 2021 25m 20s

Anytime the words “Quebec” and “Constitution” come up in political conversation, it’s usually a pretty big deal — and, historically, it’s led to some pretty divisive situations. So why aren’t more federal politicians making noise over Quebec’s

Should Canada share its shots?

May 20th, 2021 25m 33s

This week, U.S. President Joe Biden pledged to ship 20 million more doses of COVID-19 vaccines to countries that need them — meaning our southern neighbours will be sending abroad a total of 80 million shots by the end of June. This comes just

Border brawls and regulating streaming giants

May 13th, 2021 23m 49s

For weeks, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has been urging the federal government to tighten border restrictions in an effort to prevent more cases of COVID-19 from entering Canada. But how much is travel influencing the spread of the virus in this t

Concern and confusion over ‘preferred’ vaccines

May 6th, 2021 21m 51s

For months, the Prime Minister has said that the best COVID-19 vaccine is the first one that’s offered to you. If you’ve been watching the headlines this week, that might have felt hard to square with the message brought forward by the independ

Doug Ford budges on paid pandemic sick leave

Apr 29th, 2021 21m 37s

After months of mounting pressure from opposition parties, scientific advisers, labour groups and local medical officers of health across the province, the Ontario government has unveiled a plan to provide three paid sick days by reimbursing em

The Chauvin verdict and Ontario’s COVID crisis

Apr 22nd, 2021 25m 55s

Elamin and Rosie turn their attention south to reflect on Tuesday’s verdict in the Derek Chauvin case. The former Minneapolis police officer was convicted on all three counts including murder and manslaughter for killing George Floyd in May of

Pandemic anger and the federal budget

Apr 15th, 2021 25m 42s

The pandemic isn't over but many people are over it. They're fed up with COVID-19, fed up with the lockdowns, and fed up with how governments have handled this whole pandemic. So today, Rosie and Elamin talk about the various ways people are ex

Returning to restrictions and what’s ‘left’ for the NDP

Apr 8th, 2021 27m 9s

Ontario Premier Doug Ford confirmed on Wednesday that Canada’s most populous province would be heading into its second stay-at-home order and third state of emergency as COVID-19 variants of concern continue to spread. Catherine Cullen, senior

The massive generational divide in Canada’s housing market

Apr 1st, 2021 25m 21s

Elamin has turned to a simultaneously fun and frustrating way to pass the time during the pandemic: scrolling through real estate listings. He’s just one of an endless number of millennials hoping to somehow grab onto the real estate ladder and

Party in the U.S.A: State of the union

Mar 29th, 2021 37m 42s

It’s our last episode! And what a wild ride it has been. Party in the U.S.A. was originally meant to cover the 2020 U.S. election, but then EVERYTHING happened. Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, Trump got COVID-19, Biden won, and a deadly riot on Cap